Dhaka University Film Society (DUFS) is a voluntary organization affiliated with the Dhaka University Central Students Union (DUCSU) at University of Dhaka. It is registered under the Film Societies Act 2011 and a member of Federation of Film Societies, Bangladesh (FFSB). DUFS is also registered with the Bangladesh Film Censor Board. Dhaka University Film Society (DUFS) started its journey in 1962 during the Film Society Movement. Since then, the organization’s main mission remains the same, which is to create viewers of good movies with adequate taste. The organization had started its journey with the motto, ‘BETTER FILM, BETTER VIEWERS’. It took three decades of consistent performance and unremitting handwork of hundreds of film enthusiasts to reach DUFS’s present glorious position.

Activities

As a part of its mission, DUFS have successfully organized many film oriented programs such as: film festivals, appreciation courses, seminars, workshops, rallies, retrospectives and so on. World Film Manifestation Programme (WFMP) is one of its successful programs with over 400 movie screenings. Some of the major regular festivals of DUFS are 'Amar Bhashar Cholochchitro’, 'International Inter University Short Film Festival’, 'Film for Freshers', ‘World Film Manifestation Program’ and ‘Women's lens film Festival’. Beside these, DUFS has been publishing its official publication Flashback for the past 20 years.

World Film Manifestation Program

World Film Manifestation Program, commonly known as WFMP, is a monthly film screening by DUFS at different cultural centers such as the

Goethe-Institut Dhaka The Goethe-Institut Dhaka fosters knowledge about Germany by providing information on German culture, society and politics. This includes the exchange of films, music, theatre, and literature. Goethe cultural societies, reading rooms, and exam ...

and the Alliance Française de Dhaka among others. WFMP's main objective is to introduce classic and contemporary films to film society members. The program is open for all. DUFS recently organized the 130th edition of WFMP, WFMP on Remembering Agnès Varda at Alliance Française de Dhaka on 22–13 July 2019. 4 films by the French new wave filmmaker were screened. La Pointe Courte (1955), Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962), Le Bonheur (1965), Vegabond (1985) The program was started as a "viewer's forum" in June 1998 at the Goethe-Institute Dhaka. The first session was open to everyone. In the next two years, fourteen more sessions were held in different cultural centers in Dhaka. After various sessions, the initiative was renamed as World Film Manifestation Program (WFMP). The first 1st WFMP session was held in September 2000 at the Goethe-Institute Dhaka.

''Flashback''

''Flashback'' is the official publication of DUFS. It is published annually for more than fourteen years. The publication is about specific topics in the

film industry The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production companies, film studios, cinematography, animation, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, p ...

. The latest issue of flashback on East European Films was published in July 2019. Flashback: Independent Film was published in November 2018. Some issues of the publication included articles about films from

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

and those from the Far East. One ''Flashback'' was centered around

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...

in remembrance of his 150th birth anniversary.

Study circle

The study circle is a weekly program for members moderated by the study circle secretary. The circle discusses a pre-selected topic relevant to films. Study circles are moderated by an expert facilitator on the selected topic. The study circle sessions are open for all.

Others

DUFS regularly organizes film workshops, film orientation courses, and film appreciation courses. The 7th film workshop organized by DUFS was held on 25 July to 9 August. Two short films were produced through the workshop. Film Orientation Courses are designed towards enabling the new members to learn basic knowledge about film viewing and making. Appreciation courses are designed to guide the standard film viewer towards a more insightful understanding of cinema. DUFS has a library for its members. The library has a rich collection of books on cinema. Members can books and newspapers at the DUFS room. Besides all these, DUFS organizes a number of film screening sessions throughout the year, often in collaboration with other film societies and cultural centers. "Sunday German-Bangla Film Screening" is held every last Sunday of each month, where one German and one Bengali movie is shown at the Goethe Institute.

Festivals

Dhaka University Film Society organized more than thirty major film festivals so far. It has been playing an active as a cultural organization at the university and the country as well. ''Amar Vashar Cholochitro'' (Films in my language) is an annual film festival organized by DUFS at the TSC complex. The festival is held every February month in remembrance of the martyrs of the Bengali Language Movement. DUFS organized the 18th edition of the Festival, 'Amar Vashar Cholochhitro 1425' on 10–15 February 2019. The festival was first held in 2004. It is now recognized as the biggest film festival in the Bengali language. International Inter-University Short Film Festival (IIUSFF) is an annual film festival organized by DUFS. It has been running for over a decade with the slogan "Take your camera, frame your dream". Its goal is to create a cross-cultural platform for university-going filmmakers all over the world. DUFS has recently organized the 11th edition of IIUSFF, in association with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). 1401 short films from more than 90 countries were submitted. Since 10th IIUSFF a new category, 'Short films on refugee' has been introduced to address the refugee crisis around the globe. 'Short film festival on cultural diversity and peace' was introduced in 2019. DUFS and Actionaid Bangladesh jointly organized the event to promote cultural diversity and peace. Film for Freshers is the yearly film screening for the university freshers. It is open to all freshers. ''Boichitre Jibon'' (Diversity is Life) is jointly organized by Dhaka University Film Society and National Disabled Forum, in association with Sightsavers in 2010 and 2013. The major festivals organized by DUFS at the TSC auditorium, Shawkat Osman Memorial Auditorium and at different cultural centers in

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city i ...

are as follows. })'' , style="text-align:center", , style="text-align:center", Public Library auditorium , style="text-align:center", , style="text-align:left", Disaster related films , - , rowspan=3 style="text-align:center", 2010 , style="text-align:left", ''আমার ভাষার চলচ্চিত্র-১৪১৬'' (Amar Vashar Cholochitro-1416) , style="text-align:center", 22–28 February , style="text-align:center", TSC auditorium , style="text-align:center", , style="text-align:left", Bengali film from both Bangladesh and West Bengal , - , style="text-align:left", ''4th International Inter-University Short Film Festival (IIUSFF)'' , style="text-align:center", 24–28 April , style="text-align:center", TSC auditorium and Goethe Institute Dhaka , style="text-align:center", , style="text-align:left", International short film competition for university students. , - , style="text-align:left", ''বৈচিত্র্যে জীবন'' (Diversity of life) , style="text-align:center", 4–8 December , rowspan=3 style="text-align:center", TSC auditorium , style="text-align:center", 34 , style="text-align:left", First national disability related film festival , - , rowspan=3 style="text-align:center", 2011 , style="text-align:left", ''আমার ভাষার চলচ্চিত্র-১৪১৭'' (Amar Vashar Cholochitro-1417) , style="text-align:center", 24–28 February , style="text-align:center", 20 , style="text-align:left", Bengali film from both Bangladesh and West Bengal , - , style="text-align:left", ''ছায়াচিত্রে রবীন্দ্রনাথ'' (Rabindranath in Films) , style="text-align:center", , style="text-align:center", , style="text-align:left", Films based on Rabindranath Tagore works , - , style="text-align:left", ''5th International Inter-University Short Film Festival (IIUSFF)'' , style="text-align:center", 15–19 May , style="text-align:center", Goethe Institute Dhaka , style="text-align:center", , style="text-align:left", International short film competition for university students. , - , rowspan=2 style="text-align:center", 2012 , style="text-align:left", ''আমার ভাষার চলচ্চিত্র-১৪১৮'' (Amar Vashar Cholochitro-1418) , style="text-align:center", 23–28 February , rowspan=4 style="text-align:center", TSC auditorium , style="text-align:center", 19 , style="text-align:left", Bengali film from both Bangladesh and West Bengal , - , style="text-align:left", ''চলচ্চিত্রে হুমায়ুন আহমেদ'' (Humayun Ahmed in Films) , style="text-align:center", 24–26 September , style="text-align:center", 9 , style="text-align:left", In remembrance of late novelist and filmmaker

Humayun Ahmed Humayun Ahmed (; 13 November 1948 – 19 July 2012) was a Bangladeshi novelist, dramatist, screenwriter, filmmaker, songwriter, scholar, and professor. His breakthrough was his debut novel '' Nondito Noroke'' published in 1972. He wrote over 20 ...

, - , rowspan=4 style="text-align:center", 2013 , style="text-align:left", ''আমার ভাষার চলচ্চিত্র-১৪১৯'' (Amar Vashar Cholochitro-1419) , style="text-align:center", 23–28 February , style="text-align:center", 23 , style="text-align:left", Bengali film from both Bangladesh West Bengal , - , style="text-align:left", ''Film for Freshers'' , style="text-align:center", 19–22 May , style="text-align:center", 12 , style="text-align:left", Various films for freshers of Dhaka University freshers. , - , style="text-align:left", ''6th International Inter-University Short Film Festival (IIUSFF)'' , style="text-align:center", , style="text-align:center", Goethe Institute Dhaka , style="text-align:center", , style="text-align:left", International short film competition for university students. , - , style="text-align:left", ''বৈচিত্র্যে জীবন'' (Diversity of life) , style="text-align:center", 9–11 December , rowspan=5 style="text-align:center", TSC auditorium , style="text-align:center", 12 , style="text-align:left", Second national disability related film festival , - , rowspan=2 style="text-align:center", 2014 , style="text-align:left", ''আমার ভাষার চলচ্চিত্র-১৪২০'' (Amar Vashar Cholochitro-1420) , style="text-align:center", 22–27 February , style="text-align:center", 24 , style="text-align:left", Bengali film from both Bangladesh and West Bengal , - , style="text-align:left", ''Animation Film Festival'' , style="text-align:center", 3–9 November , style="text-align:center", 18 , style="text-align:left",

Animation film Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anima ...

, - , rowspan="3" style="text-align:center" , 2015 , style="text-align:left", ''7th International Inter-University Short Film Festival (IIUSFF)'' , style="text-align:center", 26–28 January , style="text-align:center", 45 , style="text-align:left", International short film competition for university students. , - , style="text-align:left", ''আমার ভাষার চলচ্চিত্র-১৪২১'' (Amar Vashar Cholochitro-1421) , style="text-align:center", 23–28 February , style="text-align:center", 24 , style="text-align:left", Bengali film from both Bangladesh and West Bengal , - , ''Film for Freshers'' , 17-18 August , TSC auditorium , 9 , Various films for freshers of Dhaka University freshers. , - , rowspan="2" , 2016 , ''8th International Inter-University Short Film Festival (IIUSFF)'' , , TSC auditorium Alliance Française de Dhaka Alliance Française de Chittagong , , International short film competition for university students. , - , 6th Film Workshop 2016 , 21 July- 5 August , , , , - , rowspan="4" , 2017 , ''আমার ভাষার চলচ্চিত্র-১৪২২'' (Amar Vashar Cholochitro-1422) , 10-14 February , TSC auditorium , 20 , Bengali film from both Bangladesh West and Bengal , - , ''Animation Film Festival 2017'' , 20-23 March , TSC auditorium , 15 , Animation Films from all over the world , - , Film Orientation Course 2017 , , Munir Chowdhury Auditorium, TSC , , , - , ''9th International Inter-University Short Film Festival (IIUSFF)'' , 11 August -14 September , TSC auditorium Alliance Française de Dhaka Star Cineplex Dhaka , 90 , International short film competition for university students. , - , rowspan="4" , 2018 , ''আমার ভাষার চলচ্চিত্র-১৪২৪'' (Amar Vashar Cholochitro-1424) , 12-17 February , TSC Auditorium , 20 , Bengali film from both Bangladesh and West Bengal , - , ''10th International Inter-University Short Film Festival'' , 2-4 September , TSC auditorium Alliance Française de Dhaka Goethe Institut Bangladesh , 200 , International short film competition for university students. , - , Film Appreciation Course 2018 , 10 October-13 October , Shaheed Munier Chowdhury Seminar Room , , , - , ''Human Rights Short Film Festival'' , 08-9 December , Bangladesh Shishu Academy Complex , 60 , The theme of this film festival is “Finding Bangladesh and South Asia in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 70 years later”. , - , rowspan="4" , 2019 , ''আমার ভাষার চলচ্চিত্র-১৪২৫'' (Amar Vashar Cholochitro-1425) , 10-14 February , TSC auditorium , 17 , Bengali film from both Bangladesh West and Bengal , - , ''11th International Inter-University Short Film Festival'' , 29-31 July , TSC auditorium Alliance Française de Dhaka Goethe Institut Bangladesh , 200 , International short film competition for university students. , - , 7th Film Workshop , 25 July- 9 August , CARASS Auditorium , , , - , ''Short Film Festival on Cultural Diversity and Peace'' , 08-9 September , TSC auditorium , 50 , Short film festival to promote cultural diversity and peace.

Membership

New members are admitted in the society in April each year. Only fresher students of Dhaka University are eligible to apply for membership. After an initial screening process, '' viva-voce'' (oral interview) is held to select the few successful (around forty) candidates for admission. At present, there are 227 members of whom thirty-three are executive members and others are general members. The current president is Shiyan Shahriar Alamgir; the general secretary is K M Itmam Islam.

Notable alumni

Abu Shahed Emon ''Jalal's Story'' ( bn, জালালের গল্প) is a 2014 Bangladeshi film directed by Abu Shahed Emon and produced by Faridur Reza Sagar. Character actors Arafat Rahman and Mohammad Emon play the lead roles. The film was selected as ...

has turned himself into a successful filmmaker after his debut full-length feature film '' Jalaler Golpo''

References

{{University of Dhaka University of Dhaka